Police make arrest in East Precinct gunpoint rape and robbery

Police say they have arrested the man who raped and robbed a woman at gunpoint in her home and then ditched her car Sunday night near Madison Valley.

CHS is not identifying the 24-year-old suspect who has not yet been charged but was taken into custody Wednesday after police used his phone number to track him to the downtown shelter where he is a resident.

According to police, the suspect met the woman earlier this month as she walked through Belltown where they exchanged numbers. The two communicated by phone until Sunday when police say the victim invited the suspect to hang out. Police say he arrived around 3 PM and the two sat inside the victim’s residence, smoking a marijuana “blunt” together. The victim told police when she returned to the table with a glass of water for the suspect, he was waiting for her with a gun. The victim told police the man pointed the gun at her head and she and the suspect began to struggle. The suspect grabbed her by her hair and punched her as they struggled to the floor where he continued to beat the woman. “Stop moving or l’ll blow your head off,” the victim told detectives her attacker said as the beating continued.

The victim said the suspect first demanded money. But when she handed him around $200 in cash from her backpack upstairs, he then demanded a “blowjob.” Police say the suspect was still armed with the gun as he raped the woman, then marched her back downstairs at gunpoint where he commanded her to wait in the bathroom. He then fled the residence, stealing her car. He ditched it, still running, near 28th Ave and E Arthur Pl around 5 PM. A resident reported the running call to police. Meanwhile, the victim called 911.

Using the phone number he provided the victim, police say they were able to track the suspect to the shelter he lists as his address. The spot where the victim’s car was ditched was one block away from bus lines 8 or the 11 that easily connect to the area where the suspect lives. He was taken into custody without incident and interviewed by detectives where he claimed the sex was consensual and that he had accidentally cut the victim’s head when he shoved her in a dispute over marijuana.

The 24-year-old appeared in court Thursday and remains jailed for investigation of first degree rape and robbery. His bail was denied.

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In 17th century Rome, painter Artemisia Gentileschi must fight for everything—her place at the easel, her father’s respect, credit for her visionary work. But in the aftermath of rape, she must fight for her truth, buoyed by her shared experience … Continue reading →

In 17th century Rome, painter Artemisia Gentileschi must fight for everything—her place at the easel, her father’s respect, credit for her visionary work. But in the aftermath of rape, she must fight for her truth, buoyed by her shared experience … Continue reading →

In 17th century Rome, painter Artemisia Gentileschi must fight for everything—her place at the easel, her father’s respect, credit for her visionary work. But in the aftermath of rape, she must fight for her truth, buoyed by her shared experience … Continue reading →

In 17th century Rome, painter Artemisia Gentileschi must fight for everything—her place at the easel, her father’s respect, credit for her visionary work. But in the aftermath of rape, she must fight for her truth, buoyed by her shared experience … Continue reading →